An Iowa company seeking regulatory approval to run a carbon dioxide pipeline through South Dakota and four other states said a delay in its plan to re-apply for a permit has nothing to do with a November vote on the project.
After Summit Carbon Solutions gained approval from the Iowa Utilities Board in June, chief executive officer Lee Blank said that “the momentum will continue as we prepare to file our South Dakota permit application in early July.”
That did not happen.
And the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission has not received a timetable on when the application might come, which is common so staff can prepare for public meetings.
A spokesperson for Summit Carbon Solutions told News Watch that the delay is not tied to a citizen-led referral of Senate Bill 201, passed during the 2024 session as part of a legislative package known as the “Landowner Bill of Rights.”
Sponsors of the law trumpeted a series of landowner protections for potential pipeline negotiations. Opponents said the legislation paved the way for PUC approval of the pipeline by usurping the regulatory authority of counties.